Aug. 8, 2014
09:30 am JST

I agree, Mark - though I would hate to see "boots on the ground" if it could be avoided. Perhaps Turkey could play a role with the Kurds in the North-East, allowing the Iraqi army to concentrate on the South, while America provides air cover.

Aug. 8, 2014
09:44 am JST

Drone the heck out of them. They confiscated abandoned Stinger missiles left behind by the retreating Iraqi Security forces. Dumbasses should have destroyed the equipment before retreat. So now, airstrikes are a risk. I said a month ago destroy the equipment they acquired. The trucks, tanks, Humvee's, known arms stocks, and..... Now its been dispersed and a greater targeting problem.

Aug. 8, 2014
11:33 am JST

Aug. 8, 2014
11:45 am JST

What book(s) are they reading and following? So far, their actions truly belong to the dark age of human history. They are trying to reinvent the caliphate marching for world conquering by starting in Iraq as their ultimate price. To hell, of course.

Aug. 8, 2014
12:48 pm JST

@Bass,

Since Ronald Reagan revoked the Fairness Doctrine, much of the US media is self-censoring, prone now to politico-corporate influences. Inconvenient truths don't make for lucrative careers, but they do help us develop critical thinking skills that see beyond the knee-jerk and soundbite.

The biggest oil producer is Tsar Vladimir, who can literally freeze Europe come winter. Next come the Saudis:

Prince Bandar bin Sultan, once the powerful Saudi ambassador in Washington and head of Saudi intelligence until a few months ago, had a revealing and ominous conversation with the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove. Prince Bandar told him: "The time is not far off in the Middle East, Richard, when it will be literally 'God help the Shia'. More than a billion Sunnis have simply had enough of them."

The potential disaster now facing the Arabs demands a new generation of Sunni leaders, able to defeat extremism within their own camp. That is something Saudi Arabia, whose Wahhabi absolutism is part of the genetic code of groups such as Isis, cannot do.

Aug. 8, 2014
01:00 pm JST

Authority should be given for unrestricted, concentrated air strikes against all idenfiable ISIS military targets, with the back-up threat of tactical battlefield nuclear weapons strikes. Then, once ISIS are in disarray and on the run, send in the best troops that the Iraqi military, the friendly militias and the Kurd peshmerga can muster on three fronts to finish the job.

I genuinely believe that, with a concerted strategy, ISIS can, and will be, defeated.

Aug. 8, 2014
01:04 pm JST

Since Ronald Reagan revoked the Fairness Doctrine, much of the US media is self-censoring, prone now to politico-corporate influences. Inconvenient truths don't make for lucrative careers, but they do help us develop critical thinking skills that see beyond the knee-jerk and soundbite.

The biggest oil producer is Tsar Vladimir, who can literally freeze Europe come winter. Next come the Saudis:

Please don't talk to me about the fairness doctrine, I worked, though briefly under it. But the problem was, there was nothing fair at all about it, more like Nazi-Journalism where you were made sure you don't say this or that, it was horrible, NOT to mention, it was one-sided and one of the main reasons in those days that conservatives didn't and really couldn't get a word in edge-wise, except on CNN-Crossfire and that was about it. With it gone since the media is already 98% liberal, reinstating it would benefit liberals only really, this way, it is more fair that the people can watch, listen and decide for themselves, they don't need the Nazi-Journalist watchers looking over their shoulder at whatever they write or speak about.

Aug. 8, 2014
01:19 pm JST

For the past 13 years, we have been told Islam is the religion of peace. When a man wants to burn a Koran in Florida, the world's media explodes. Now that Islamist are going to force convert people, destroy churches and let people starve, the world and the Muslim groups say nothing.

Even when the US was there in Iraq, great pains were made to not destroy any religious buildings and respect the local relious beliefs. I didn't see any report that these very same people who are being threatened by ISIS going around and making muslims convert and accept Christ at all, because if they would have, the media would have picked it up and ran with it.

This group, along with Boko Haram (we seem to have forgotten about that) are pushing their religious beliefs on others at the tip of an AK-47. Don't really see the media making that the point, but I have heard that this is all Bush's fault.

Aug. 8, 2014
02:00 pm JST

Now that Islamist are going to force convert people, destroy churches and let people starve, the world and the Muslim groups say nothing.

Do you actually bother to read what "Muslim groups" are saying?

From the Muslim Council of Britain's website:

"Whilst all of Iraq's leaders have a case to answer for the deepening divisions, often violently, in this fragile state; the depth and scale of barbarity attributed to ISIS is particularly unconscionable and is to be repudiated. Its actions are turning Iraqis further against each other, increasing sectarianism and are the driver of Muslims killing one another."

Aug. 8, 2014
02:44 pm JST

Gee, why don't we just clone a new Saddam Hossein and call it a day? Both are (or were) tyrants representing a minority in their country and would do anything to remain in power.

Democracy requires time to take root. Even the United States took over a hundred years, including a civil war and various suffrage campaigns, before true democracy was realized. Turkey is doing a good job; the Kurds seem to have a clue; even Iran is far more democratic than Syria. Whether Iraq makes it or not, and in what form, is quite an open question - but teaming up with Assad would be the most asinine, short-sighted thing America could do.

Aug. 8, 2014
03:20 pm JST

Aug. 8, 2014
03:35 pm JST

@Bass,

The budget for proselytizing the intolerant Wahhabism beloved of ISIS and Boko Haram didn't come from selling sand:

Estimates of Saudi spending on religious causes abroad include "upward of $100 billion",[96] between $2 and 3 billion per year since 1975. (compared to the annual Soviet propaganda budget of $1 billion/year),[97] and "at least $87 billion" from 1987-2007

Aug. 9, 2014
01:39 am JST

@global

And I am assuming, you will keep that barrel in your apartment?

@JapanGal

Let's ask Bush for his opinion!

More like, let's ask Obama for his opinion, but first we need to find him.

@Fizz

More Bush bashing? That's all you guys got. Some more would've, could've, should've the rest of the world moved on, I would suggest you do the same as well.
I could start had Clinton taken out OBL, but who cares, it's the past, the current majesty that reigns supreme is Barack Hussein Obama, now keeping up with current events. Had Obama kept a sizable force and kept the SOFA agreement in place, we wouldn't probably be talking about ISIL without a doubt, this would not have happened. If you want to blame somebody else, blame the Americans that voted for this joker...twice.
Keep it real, keep it current.

@sense

You are not making any sense. You make it seem like as if the relationship between the US and the Saudis is a bad thing.